Remembering passwords is a hassle. The computer at the office requires a user name and password. Each email account requires a user name and password, as does each online account. If security were not an issue, a person would likely have only one username and password for all accounts.
However, security is a serious issue, and therefore password management and access to accounts is also a serious issue. A number of current approaches address this serious issue in an attempt to either make passwords easier to remember or more robust and resistant to being compromised.
One approach is the one time password (“OTP”). A one time password is, generally speaking, a value that can be used to access a system once before it is changed. In other words, it is regularly updated (at a certain defined frequency) without the user having to change it. This means that the user submits a unique (password) value that is used only once and the system that he wishes to access verifies that the value is what it should be. Typically this is accomplished with a small device or “token” that generates the password for the user based upon a predictable algorithm. The same predictable algorithm is utilized by a validating entity in the system, and when the algorithms are given the same seed value, the system therefore “knows” what the user's ever changing one time password value should be at any instant (or count). The most common form of the tokens to date requires that the user read the value from a screen and enter it into a computer. Another recently developed form allows the token to transmit the value directly to the computer. Both of these implementations, and the one time password concept generally, provide a high level of security, but require that the user carry around a token for generation of the one time password values. The tokens are a form of two factor authentication, the user's secret (password or pin) being one factor, and the OTP value and the hardware (token) necessary to produce it being the second factor.
Another approach utilizes a password management device. Such a device can keep track of a user's various passwords and account numbers and submit the proper password(s) for each user account. For example, the user may have a master password for accessing the device, and after the device has verified the user's master password, it can then submit the actual password for a given account when it is connected to a host computer. The user can either enter his various passwords or passwords can be pushed to the password management device. One such device from SafeNet® (formerly thought to be Rainbow Technologies) is known as the iKey™ and is also capable of encryption and the associated key generation.
Each of these approaches lacks something and has therefore not achieved a high level of acceptance with the general public. OTP tokens are primarily used today for controlling access to corporate networks and have not been widely accepted for use with systems widely available to the general public, e.g. email providers or on-line auctioneers etc. Currently available password management devices lack the level of security of OTP tokens and systems.
Each of these approaches requires usage of a dedicated device, or alternatively lacks the ability to generate one time passwords for different institutions while keeping the passwords and associated algorithms and seeds secure. For example, many involve a single purpose keychain token or USB device. Carrying such a device everywhere is an inconvenience and limits user acceptance, especially given that the tech savvy user may already be toting around a cell phone, music player, PDA or Blackberry, digital camera, and other assorted electronic gadgets.
Therefore, there is a need for a convenient multi-purpose device that integrates one time password generation as part of a robust security and password management system.